Killing Softly
by Lovin'Books4Ever
Summary: Rose is one of the most powerful strigoi of all time. Ruthless and cold-hearted. When guardians sent by Lissa are to retrieve her rose is on the run. Will they bring her back to the academy and restore her to her original state? Or is there a far worse fate in store for her? Read to find out!


Prologue RPOV

The sky was dark dotted with stars and the air was cold and crisp. I released the black haired moroi who fell to the ground. There was no blood in his body to stain the snow and that thought brought a smile to my face. I dragged the body into an alley and dumped it in to a garbage can. No need to attract unnecessary attention. Someone would find it soon enough. I walked out into the lively streets of St. Petersburg. Well if you call an old beggar and a few drunken men lively then your spot on. I licked the last drops of blood off my lips and wore a satisfied smile. Then I looked up to see the hotel and walked through the doors. As I walked past the woman at the entrance she gave me a little smile. I didn't return it. If she wondered why I only went out at night and never turned up for breakfast she didn't show it. Every time I saw her I almost felt something. As if there was something stirring inside me, but I always pushed it out. She was exceptionally beautiful for a human. And every time I looked at her I saw Lissa, and I thought back to the day when my life changed forever. Or ended, depends on how you look at it.

(Richelle Mead) _"Rose…what are we going to do if they catch us?" she whispered.  
"They won't," I said fiercely. "I won't let them."  
"But if they've found us - "  
"They found us before. They didn't catch us then. We'll just drive over to the train station and go to L.A. They'll lose the trail."  
"Do you hear that?" she asked suddenly.  
It took me a few seconds to pick up what her sharper senses already had. Footsteps, moving fast. I grimaced. We had two more blocks to go.  
"We've got to run for it," I said, catching hold of her arm.  
"But you can't - "  
"Run."  
It took every ounce of my willpower not to pass out on the sidewalk. My body didn't want to run after losing blood or while still metabolizing the effects of her saliva. But I ordered my muscles to stop their bitching and clung to Lissa as our feet pounded against the concrete. Normally I could have outrun her without any extra effort - particularly since she was barefoot - but tonight, she was all that held me upright.  
The pursuing footsteps grew louder, closer. Black stars danced before my eyes. Ahead of us, I could make out Jeremy's green Honda. Oh God, if we could just make it -  
Ten feet from the car, a man stepped directly into our path. We came to a screeching halt, and I jerked Lissa back by her arm. It was him, the guy I'd seen across the street watching me. He was older than us, maybe mid-twenties, and as tall as I'd figured, probably six-six or six-seven. And under different circumstances - say, when he wasn't holding up our desperate escape - I would have thought he was hot. Shoulder-length brown hair, tied back in a short ponytail. Dark brown eyes. A long brown coat-a duster, I thought it was called.  
But his hotness was irrelevant now. He was only an obstacle keeping Lissa and me away from the car and our freedom. The footsteps behind us slowed, and I knew our pursuers had caught up. Off to the sides, I detected more movement, more people closing in. God. They'd sent almost a dozen guardians to retrieve us. I couldn't believe it. The queen herself didn't travel with that many.  
Panicked and not entirely in control of my higher reasoning, I acted out of instinct. I pressed up to Lissa, keeping her behind me and away from the man who appeared to be the leader.  
"Leave her alone," I growled. "Don't touch her."  
His face was unreadable, but he held out his hands in what was apparently supposed to be some sort of calming gesture, like I was a rabid animal he was planning to sedate.  
"I'm not going to - "  
He took a step forward. Too close.  
I attacked him, leaping out in an offensive maneuver I hadn't used in two years, not since Lissa and I had run away. The move was stupid, another reaction born of instinct and fear. And it was hopeless. He was a skilled guardian, not a novice who hadn't finished his training. He also wasn't weak and on the verge of passing out.  
And man, was he fast. I'd forgotten how fast guardians could be, how they could move and strike like cobras. He knocked me off as though brushing away a fly, and his hands slammed into me and sent me backwards. I don't think he meant to strike that hard - probably just intended to keep me away - but my lack of coordination interfered with my ability to respond. Unable to catch my footing, I started to fall, heading straight toward the sidewalk at a twisted angle, hip-first. It was going to hurt. A lot.  
Only it didn't.  
Just as quickly as he'd blocked me, the man reached out and caught my arm, keeping me upright. Fighting the nauseating dizziness, I backed toward Lissa again, bracing myself for another attack. Suddenly, her hand caught hold of mine. "Rose," she said quietly. "Don't."  
Her words had no effect on me at first, but calming thoughts gradually began to settle in my mind, coming across through the bond. It wasn't exactly compulsion - she wouldn't use that on me - but it was effectual, as was the fact that we were hopelessly outnumbered and outclassed. Even I knew struggling would be pointless. The tension left my body, and I sagged in defeat.  
Sensing my resignation, the man stepped forward, turning his attention to Lissa. His face was calm. He swept her a bow and managed to look graceful doing it, which surprised me considering his height. "My name is Dimitri Belikov," he said. I could hear a faint Russian accent. "I've come to take you back to St. Vladimir's Academy, Princess." (My part)Suddenly there were more men around us. I assumed they were guardians until I saw the red in their eyes. I was determined not to go down without a fight. I got into position and I was suddenly dragged back from the behind. I struggled but the strigoi put his hand around my throat and squeezed. Before I passed out I saw Dimitri kill two strigoi and then take Lissa's arm and hurry away. She looked back and tried to run back but this Belikov guy wouldn't let her. He pulled her along and in a moment they disappeared in the trees._

That was the day when I became strigoi. I shook my head and went back up to my room. There I sat on the bed and took off my shoes. I stretched leaned back relaxing all my muscles. A second later I felt a vibration in my pocket. I got out my IPhone and answered it sharply.

"_Hathaway." "Boss, we've got a problem." "What do want Rowling." _I sighed. _"We've got a leak. One of the vermin must have said something." _Me and my group have been using the help of humans for about a year. They were stupid creatures but they had their perks. _"What happened Rowling." _I ground out.

He sounded nervous now. Weakling. "_Well, one of our secret quarters was infiltrated and uhh…"_

"_You better tell me what happened or I'll tie you to a stake and leave you to roast in the SUN"_

"_Leeds is dead."_

"_What," I screeched. _Thank god the walls were soundproof.

"_Some guardians picked up our trail and attacked us outside London. There was one called Petrov I think and your… your mother. _I growled into the phone and I heard a nervous squeak from the other end.

"_Meet me out side the_ _Hotel Corinthia tomorrow at eleven. And you better be on time. Ohh and bring Nikon and Rallon." _I hissed before hanging up.


End file.
